Images for Chapter 12 Dinosaurs

Dinosaur Overview

Cladogram of Dinosauria: Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland

Theropods

Cladogram of theropods. Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Theropod hands: Herrerasaurus, Coelophysis, Deinonychus, Archaeopteryx, hoatzin embryo, and hoatzin adult. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Late Triassic basal theropods from Argentina:

Eoraptor

Eoraptor skeleton from Paul Sereno's Web site.
Eoraptor skull from Paul Sereno's Web site.
CAT scan of Eoraptor skull Figure 12.2, from the Digimorph project at UT Austin.

Herrerasaurus

Herrerasaurus skull
Skull of Herrerasaurus
Sketch of Herrerasaurus skeleton from Paul Sereno's Web site.

Ceratosauria

Coelophysis drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Coelophysis skull Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Dilophosaurus drawing. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Dilophosaurus head. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Ceratosaur drawing from Marsh. Figure 12.5.
Ceratosaurus drawing. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Ceratosaurus
Dilophosaurus, with its discoverer Professor Sam Welles. UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
The double crest of Dilophosaurus. Flesh reconstruction. UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.

Tetanurans

The other theropods, (collectively called tetanurans, separated early into the allosaurs (massive, powerful predators) and the lighter and more agile coelurosaurs.

Allosaurs

Allosaurus drawing. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Allosaurus skull photo. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Coelurosaurs

Cladogram of coelurosaurs : Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Compsognathus, an early basal coelurosaur.
- Compsognathus, which weighed only about 1 kg (2 pounds).
- Compsognathus, UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
- Sketch of the original specimen of Compsognathus by Wagner, who first described it.
- Nopsca noticed and drew a lizard folded up inside the specimen of Compsognathus.
Cladogram of 'eumaniraptors' Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland.

Scipionyx
A little theropod, probably a young maniraptor, from Italy, Scipionyx, is beautifully preserved. (This specimen has been called "Skippy" -- irresistible!).
- BBC News OnLine.
- Skippy's internal organs
- Scipionyx as seen by the artist Luis Rey.
Within coelurosaurs, one lineage of small, agile carnivores includes the birds (Chapter 13) and dromaeosaurs.
Deinonychus
- Deinonychus skull. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
- Deinonychus foot. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
- The famous second toe claw of Deinonychus. From Natural History, December 1999.
- Deinonychus in hunting/scavenging mode. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
- Sketch of Deinonychus by Robert Bakker. UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
- Somewhat fanciful reconstruction ofDeinonychus. American Museum of Natural History.
- And an even more fanciful reconstruction from Luis Rey
Microraptor
- Microraptor gui photo. National Geographic News
- Microraptor gui, skeleton and wing diagram. National Geographic News
- Microraptor gui reconstruction. National Geographic News
Sinovenator, a little theropod dinosaur from China, described in 2002. Field Museum, Chicago.
Velociraptor
- Velociraptor skull: the real one!
- Group of velociraptors
- Velociraptor and Protoceratops. American Museum of Natural History.
Troodon
- An animatronic Troodon at MIT. For the movies, click here . I would have liked to have seen Troody kick the guy's drink over his computer keyboard (NEVER leave drinks near your keyboard!), but it didn't happen!
- Sinornithoides (close to Troodon) drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Mononykus.a bird-like theropod from Mongolia, placed within a group called the alvarezsaurids. I write in the book that I suspect it operated rather like a megapod, for example, the brush turkey of Queensland, Australia.

Ornithomimids are the so-called ostrich dinosaurs.

Struthiomimus From UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
Survey of the group from the Dinosauricon Web site. Lots of links to images.

Ornitholestes drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Tyrannosaurs

An early tyrannosaur: "Kittysaurus"! Eotyrannus, a new small theropod from England.
- Reconstruction
- Reconstruction by Luis Rey.
Tyrannosaurus rex. Tree of Life site.
Tyrannosaurus skull. UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
Tyrannosaur skull. University of Bonn.
Skull of Sue at the Field Museum.
Reconstructed skull of Sue at the Field Museum.
Tyrannosaurus as mounted in 1915.at the American Museum of Natural History.
Tarbosaurus from Mongolia is probably a Tyrannosaurus.
Young Gorgosaurus. Tree of Life site.
Drawwing of the skull of Gorgosaurus
Albertosaurus at the Field Museum.
Albertosaurus at the Field Museum.
A coprolite from Tyrannosaurus rex from the USGS
Tyrannosaur teeth
Tyrannosaurus teeth From the Canadian Geological Survey.
Teeth of Sue at Chicago's Field Museum
How fast could Tyrannosaurus run? National Geographic News: image by Luis Rey.
Leg posture of T. rex

Large theropods from the Cretaceous of Gondwana

Giganotosaurus at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, which proudly displays its specimen.
A new genus, related to Giganotosaurus, is claimed as the largest theropod: Picture from BBC News OnLine, March 13, 2000 (with Phil Currie, for scale and authenticity!).
Rajasaurus, from the latest Cretaceous of India.
- Rajasaurus reconstruction National Geographic News.
- Rajasaurus skull National Geographic News.
- Cladogram showing how distant these large theropods are from tyrannosaurs .

Carcharodontosaurus from North Africa.

Carcharodontosaurus.
Skull of Carcharodontosaurus with Paul Sereno playing Hamlet.
(Afrovenator is another large theropod from Africa.)
( Mounted skeleton of Afrovenator

Strange theropods

Incisivosaurus, a gnawing oviraptosaur.

Incisivosaurus, the buck-tooth oviraptor National Geographic News.
Skull, from Science News

Spinosaurs

Baryonyx drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Spinosaurus drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Suchomimus from Paul Sereno's site in Chicago.
Suchomimus mounted skeleton.
You don't have to believe this, but it's a great picture! by Luis Rey.

No-one properly understands Therizinosaurs yet. They are theropods, but evolved toward a vegetarian life style.

Falcarius, the earliest therizinosaur, described from Utah in 2005.
Beipiaosaurus is a therizinosaur with feathers.
Close-up of feathers

Abelisaurs, theropod dinosaurs that flourished in Gondwanaland, in parallel with the dominantly Laurasian coelurosaurs.

The latest new abelisaurid is Masiakasaurus, from Madagascar. (Press release from NSF).

Masiakasaurus head with projecting teeth. National Geographic News, 2001

Ornithischians

Cladogram of ornithischians. Figure 12.12.

Early and basal ornithischians

Ornithischian dinosaurs have a backward-pointed pubis. UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
Lesothosaurus drawingPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Heterodontosaurus skullPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Hypsilophodon drawingPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Hypsilophodon skullPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Ornithopods

Cladogram of ornithopods: Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Cladogram of hadrosaurs Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Leonardo, the mummified hadrosaur National Geographic News
Camptosaurus drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Tenontosaurus drawing Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Marginocephalia

Cladogram of marginocephalians Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland

Thyreophora: Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs

Cladogram of thyreophorans. Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Drawing of Stegosaurus , from Marsh. Figure 12.16.
Stegosaurus from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Ankylosaurus
Skull of Stegoceros
Update on pachycephalosaur behavior, June 2004. Work by Mark Goodwin and Jack Horner.
Stegosaurus drawing with plates Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Ceratopsians

Psittacosaurus drawingPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Psittacosaurus skullPaul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Protoceratops is a small and early ceratopsian from Mongolia . American Museum of Natural History.
. Triceratops skeleton. Smithsonian Institution.
Triceratops walking Smithsonian Institution.
View the movie Smithsonian Institution.

Sauropodomorphs

Cladogram of sauropodomorphs. Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland

Prosauropods

Anchisaurus, from Marsh. Figure 12.19.
Plateosaurus Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Plateosaurus skull photo Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.

Sauropods

The earliest sauropod: from the late Triassic of South Africa. National Geographic News, July 10, 2003.
Cladogram of neosauropods. Image by Tom Holtz, University of Maryland
Skull of Diplodocus, from Marsh. Figure 12.20.
Skeleton of Diplodocus
Diplodocid skulls: Barosaurus, Apatosaurus, Dicraeosaurus Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Drawing of Brachiosaurus and Brachiosaurus skull Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Camarasaurus drawing. Paul Olsen's Earthscape site.
Skull of Camarasaurus, from Marsh. Figure 12.21.
Rapetosaurus from Madagascar. NSF news release, 2001.
Rapetosaurus, skeleton reconstruction NSF news release, 2001.
Paralititan, a titanosaur from Egypt

Even a cautious person must admit that well-documented sauropod body lengths are over 100 feet and weights are at least 50 tons. For example, Seismosaurus

Dinosaur Paleobiology: Life at Large Size

Posture and Habitat

American Museum of Natural History reconstruction of Barosaurus rearing up on its hind limbs.
The snorkel idea for sauropod necks. Figure 12.22.

Dinosaur Growth

Growth curve for Tyrannosaurus. NOTE: this is in Science, November 4, 2004, so may not be freely available until some time in 2005.
Slow-growing dinosaur bone. The caption says it is a "rib-like" bone from Deinonychus. NOTE: this is in Science, November 4, 2004, so may not be freely available until some time in 2005.
Fast-growing dinosaur bone. A leg bone from Troodon. NOTE: this is in Science, November 4, 2004, so may not be freely available until some time in 2005.

Dinosaur Behavior

BROWSE Walking With Dinosaurs, background report on a BBC program using new animations of dinosaurs. Here is also the home page for that program.
How did theropods make footprints? And how different is the trace fossil from the actual foot shape? Movie of a (virtual) theropod making a (virtual) footprint. From Gatesy's web site.
How agile were dinosaurs? Not very, says Dave Carrier. I don't believe this. Grad students running around with 2 x 4s do not equal dinosaurs. News item from Science.
T. rex and a giant chicken: T. rex was a slowpoke.
There is real evidence from trackways: The Lark Quarry stampede in Queensland

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus crest. Figure 12.26a.
Medieval horns as paralophosaur analogs. Fig. 12.26b.
Listen to the sounds it may have made..

Dinosaur Noses

Dinosaur nostrils may have been reconstructed in the wrong place. New Scientist

Eggs and Nests

Psittacosaur with 34 young dinos. National Geographic News. Not a nest, but a parent with young.
Dinosaur egg localities as of 1996. National Geographic
Andrews expedition to Mongolia finds dinosaur eggs. National Geographic
Dino eggs from China. National Geographic
Baby Louie, a therizinosaur. National Geographic
Model of baby Louie. National Geographic
"Baby Louie": reconstruction of dinosaur embryo. Peabody Museum.

BROWSE THIS: Dino Russ's dinosaur egg site, with many links

The Mongolian nests were naturally associated with the most abundant dinosaur in the area, Protoceratops. But when an embryo was finally discovered inside one of the eggs, it was well enough preserved to be identified not as Protoceratops, but as Oviraptor
An adult Oviraptor that had been buried in a sandstorm while it was crouched over a nest of Oviraptor eggs.
gorgeous painting of an Oviraptor and hatchlings.
While we are talking about dinosaur embryos inside dinosaur eggs, let's ask how they compare to bird embryos inside bird eggs. Here is an awesome site that shows an emu embryo inside an emu egg. University of Texas CT lab, Digimorph project.
Paintings of brooding oviraptors by Luis Rey: two versions:
- Earlier version.
- Later version
- Tiny and adult dino from Patagonia. National Geographic
- Sauropods hatching: (Fantasy) painting by Luis Rey. Peabody Museum.

Dinosaur Coprolite

T. rex coprolite From the USGS

Were Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded?

Feathers on theropod dinosaurs

Reconstruction of Dilong, the feathery tyrannosaur. National Geographic News
Skeletal features of Dilong, the feathery tyrannosaur. National Geographic News
Skull of Dilong, the feathery tyrannosaur. National Geographic News
Feathered dromaeosaur . National Geographic News, 2001
Feathered juvenile dromaeosaur. Natural History magazine.
Feathered juvenile dromaeosaur Natural History magazine.
Shuvuuia from Mongolia. National Geographic News
Sinosauropteryx. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Sinosauropteryx skull with teeth. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Juvenile Sinosauropteryx. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Dramatic painting of Sinosauropteryx by Luis Rey
Another Luis Rey painting of Sinosauropteryx
Protarchaeopteryx. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Caudipteryx. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Caudipteryx tail with feathers. From the Peabody Museum, Yale.
Model of Caudipteryx. National Geographic
But Archaeoraptor was a fake. BBC News OnLine.
Microraptor
- The fossil National Geographic News
- The reconstruction National Geographic News
- The interpretation.
- Microraptor. BBC News OnLine.
Convincing feathers on a dinosaur: great images
Polar Dinosaurs
Dinosaur respiration: they could breathe while they ran
- Alligator on a treadmill. University of Utah press release.
- Alligator respiration.